The three years in prison that Donald Trump ’s former fixer Michael Cohen received today wasn’t the only bad press the increasingly besieged former Celebrity Apprentice host was handed. The feds also revealed Wednesday that the owners of the National Enquirer have provided “substantial and important assistance” to them in their investigations. With the effective burial of the American Media Inc publication’s so-called “catch and kill” strategy to bury stores that could have adversely affected Trump, the company and CEO David Pecker were granted freedom criminal prosecution by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for their role in paying Playboy model Karen McDougal off with $150,000 before the 2016 election. “AMI further admitted that its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election,” the U.S. Attorney’s office added announcing the non-prosecution agreement ( … [Read more...] about ‘National Enquirer’ Owner Admits “Influencing” 2016 Election With Payoffs For Donald Trump
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Sky Seeking Next ‘Happy Valley’ As Content Boss Zai Bennett Teases Less Is More Approach
Sky is seeking inspiration from Happy Vall ey for its next hit show as programs boss Zai Bennett says the pay-TV giant is taking a ‘less is more’ approach to original content. Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild event this morning, Sky Studios Director of Original Drama Meghan Lyvers said conversations are taking place with producers about shows that have “an investigative spine with complicated, dysfunctional, flawed, human and relatable characters at the center,” evoking Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire ’s Catherine Cawood. She responded “perhaps yes” when questioned if the next big Sky drama could be led by a Cawood-esque figure and talked up the way in which the BBC One/AMC+ sensation places an older woman front and centre of the story. A similar show, the Kate Winslet-starring Mare of Easttown, was launched by Sky and HBO in 2021 to critical acclaim. “There are always trends in terms of trying new shows and reaching new audiences but older women … [Read more...] about Sky Seeking Next ‘Happy Valley’ As Content Boss Zai Bennett Teases Less Is More Approach
Hollywood’s China Predicament: New Law Restricts U.S. Cooperation On Projects Modified To Appease Beijing
The furor over a Chinese spy balloon that flew over U.S. airspace has further chilled D.C.-Beijing tensions, but the entertainment industry already has been swept up in the heightened atmosphere of American hawkishness. Hollywood studios and producers are poised to get a new level of scrutiny over their dealings with China — reflecting a bipartisan hardline toward Beijing and escalating concerns over its influence. A little publicized provision of a recently passed defense bill restricts the U.S. government from spending funds on movies that, to gain entry into the Chinese marketplace, are altered in the face of Chinese government dictates. The provision in the National Defense Authorization Act , approved in a bipartisan vote of Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in December, is the latest example of an increased focus on China’s role, not just in the entertainment industry but also in sports and social media. While Republicans have led attacks on … [Read more...] about Hollywood’s China Predicament: New Law Restricts U.S. Cooperation On Projects Modified To Appease Beijing
Beyoncé Fan Who Screamed During Harry Styles’ AOTY Win Identified
Twitter / @MrErnestOwens Harry Styles winning over Beyoncé didn't sit well for many online, and one guy in the building wasn't pleased either -- screaming in indignation ... and outing himself as the yeller. You might've noticed somebody briefly interrupted HS's acceptance speech Sunday after he won Album of the Year for 'Harry's House' -- an honor many felt should've gone to Queen Bey for her smash hit, 'Renaissance' ... and who made their opinion heard on Twitter. CBS However, the outrage clearly made its way into Crypto.com Arena ... with one dude shouting "BEYONCEEEEE" while Harry was giving his thanks at the end of the show. At first, it wasn't clear who had screamed it or from where ... but now, the fella has ID'd himself -- posting a video from the nosebleeds, where he was sitting, which shows the moment he made his protest. Turns out, the Beyoncé super fan a journalist from Philly. People literally left during the final performance. … [Read more...] about Beyoncé Fan Who Screamed During Harry Styles’ AOTY Win Identified
AMC Entertainment Is Tweaking Theater Ticket Prices Based On “Sightline” To Movie Screen
Theater chain AMC Entertainment is now shifting ticket prices depending on where seats are located in theaters in an initiative called Sightline AMC. The seating selections based on their sightline of the movie screen within the auditorium include Value Sightline, Standard Sightline and Preferred Sightline sections. Standard Sightline, the most common, is sticking to the traditional ticket cost. Value Sightline seats are primarily in the front row of the auditorium, and cheaper. Preferred Sightline seats are typically in the middle of the auditorium and cost slightly more than Standard seats. Stubs A-List members will have the Preferred Sightline premium waived to encourage membership in its loyalty program. Sightline at AMC is applied to all showtimes that begin after 4 p.m. at participating locations and is not available on Discount Tuesday. AMC said it’s launched in select markets but didn’t specify which and is expected to continue expanding to AMC and AMC … [Read more...] about AMC Entertainment Is Tweaking Theater Ticket Prices Based On “Sightline” To Movie Screen
Showtime Eyeing ‘Dexter’ Prequel Series About Trinity Killer
A Dexter prequel series about the Trinity Killer is being considered at Showtime , following the announcement two spinoff projects have received straight-to-series orders. Not much was revealed about the Trinity killer project, only that it focuses on the makings of the notorious serial killer played by John Lithgow in the original series. Lithgow has previously mentioned Trinity is the character he is most often asked about with most fans confessing how truly horrifying he was to watch. The other two projects include Dexter : Origins and the next chapter of Dexter: New Blood . Origins will focus on young Dexter Morgan (originally played by Michael C. Hall) at the outset of his transition into the avenging serial killer he would become. Set in Miami, the series will begin as Dexter graduates college to join Miami Metro, where he meets younger versions of many of the characters we came to know in the OG series. Dexter’s family will also be portrayed, … [Read more...] about Showtime Eyeing ‘Dexter’ Prequel Series About Trinity Killer
Former Warner Media Exec Chris Spadaccini Joins CW As Chief Marketing Officer
Chris Spadaccini has been named Chief Marketing Officer for The CW Network, where he will oversee the network’s broadcast and digital marketing divisions. “It is very rare that any company gets to add someone of Chris Spadaccini’s stature to its team,” commented Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment for The CW Network. “When it comes to marketers who have built and defined legendary brands for decades and created passionate emotional attachment between content and audiences, Chris is a true pioneer and the best in the business. As the broadcast and digital landscape changes at a rapid pace, we are building a dream team with the excitement and experience needed to drive The CW forward. I just wish he could have brought ‘The White Lotus’ with him.” Previously, Spadaccini as the Chief Marketing Officer for Warner Media Entertainment. He was responsible for marketing HBO, TBS, TNT, truTV, and all aspects of brand and content marketing for HBO Max, the company’s … [Read more...] about Former Warner Media Exec Chris Spadaccini Joins CW As Chief Marketing Officer
MTV To Air ‘Don’t Leave Me Behind’ Commercial-Free, Documentary On Teenage Ukrainian Refugees Traumatized By Russian War
EXCLUSIVE: Russia’s nearly year-long war in Ukraine has claimed the lives of more than 7,000 civilians, including 438 children, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. But the impact of the invasion goes much further than those numbers, of course – the bloodshed has sent more than five million Ukrainians fleeing across the Polish border, reportedly half of them teenagers or younger. Those traumatized Ukrainian teens are the focus of the new documentary Don’t Leave Me Behind: Stories of Young Ukrainian Survival , which will premiere on MTV on February 21, just days before the war’s one-year anniversary. MTV is airing the film commercial-free. “Filmmaker Nathaniel Lezra brings viewers just miles from the Ukraine-Poland border,” MTV said in a statement about the documentary, “where he chronicles the lives of Ukrainian teenage refugees as they process the unimaginable trauma of being displaced from their country and separated … [Read more...] about MTV To Air ‘Don’t Leave Me Behind’ Commercial-Free, Documentary On Teenage Ukrainian Refugees Traumatized By Russian War
Jeff Bezos Rips National Enquirer With “Extortion” Claims, Defends WaPo
After weeks of seeing his private life flooded into the public, Jeff Bezos went online today to accuse Donald Trump’s pals at the National Enquirer of attempting to strong arm him with intimate photos, texts and an intent to ruin him with Amazon shareholders. “Any personal embarrassment AMI could cause me takes a back seat because there’s a much more important matter involved here,” the world’s richest man and owner of the Washington Post wrote, regarding National Enquirer parent company American Media’s desire to shut down the investigation Bezos has started of how information about his marriage and other personal affairs became public knowledge. “If in my position I can’t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can? (On that point, numerous people have contacted our investigation team about their similar experiences with AMI, and how they needed to capitulate because, for example, their livelihoods were at stake),” the Amazon founder wrote. … [Read more...] about Jeff Bezos Rips National Enquirer With “Extortion” Claims, Defends WaPo
Jeff Bezos Divorce Draws Shrugs From Amazon Investors, But Intrigue Swirls Around Ownership Stake
After Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos announced their plans to divorce after 25 years of marriage, Amazon investors have reacted with a shrug, with the company’s stock price essentially flat in mid-day trading today. Even so, the news puts the fortune of the world’s richest man and the ownership structure of an era-defining, global powerhouse in a state of flux. The Bezoses tweeted Wednesday that after “a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends.” (See their full statement below.) They have yet to file any official paperwork with the courts, confirming expectations that they will seek to handle the matter privately so as to avoid attracting unwanted attention to the company. President Donald Trump, who has frequently attacked Bezos and Amazon while in office, was asked by reporters about the divorce today. “Well, I wish him luck. I wish him luck,” Trump said. “It’s going to be a beauty.” … [Read more...] about Jeff Bezos Divorce Draws Shrugs From Amazon Investors, But Intrigue Swirls Around Ownership Stake